Tel Aviv has agreed to listen to Washington's opinion before launching a ground operation against the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, according to US officials.
"They assured us they would not enter Rafah until the United States had an opportunity to share its views and concerns with Israel," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on April 28.
The official said that during his trip to the Middle East, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will continue to push for a ceasefire agreement that will last at least six weeks in the Gaza Strip. Mr. Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia today and is expected to travel to Israel this week.
“What we hope is that the parties can achieve something more lasting after the end of the six-day truce,” Kirby said, adding that Israel had begun to meet its commitments to US President Joe Biden and that the number of aid trucks entering the northern Gaza Strip was increasing.
The information was given by Mr. Kirby after a senior Israeli defense official said on April 24 that the country's army was ready to evacuate civilians from Rafah to launch an attack on the city, despite warnings from the international community about the risk of a humanitarian disaster if Israel did this.
Palestinian refugees in Rafah city, southern Gaza Strip, April 28. Photo: AFP
In a phone call earlier this month, President Biden asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to protect Palestinian civilians and foreign aid workers in the Gaza Strip, or else Washington would limit its support for Tel Aviv in its conflict with Hamas.
This is believed to be the first time the US has set conditions with Israel since the conflict in the Gaza Strip broke out in October 2023.
About 1.5 million Palestinians are concentrated in Rafah after fleeing other parts of the Gaza Strip. Washington has previously said it will not support Tel Aviv's operation into the city unless the Israeli military comes up with a credible, appropriate plan to ensure a humanitarian crisis does not occur.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on April 28 called on the United States to demand that Israel stop its offensive on Rafah, adding that Washington was the only country that could stop Tel Aviv from doing so. He also warned that even a small raid on Rafah would force all residents to flee and cause "the biggest humanitarian disaster in the history of Palestine."
According to local health officials, the conflict in the Gaza Strip has left 34,454 people dead and 77,575 injured as of April 28, mostly women and children.
Location of Rafah and towns in the Gaza Strip. Graphics: BBC
Pham Giang (According to Reuters, AFP )
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